So the Groove and I recently got a little bit of press from the folks over at Cinema Romantico, a film blog out of Chicago. If you’ve never checked out their site, you should definitely do so…and we just want to send out a hearty thanks! So, in recognition of those of you who dwell in the realm of the cinematic, I thought I would put up some recently released music videos. So settle in, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the show.
I’ve written before about Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. As if their music wasn’t great enough, the band has decided to start releasing music videos as well. Everything about the group is epic (for example, the tour with as many as ten members), and why should their videos be any different?! Rather than release a one-off, typical, run of the mill music video, they have embarked upon a feature-length movie musical extravaganza. The movie is being produced in 12 parts, and so far “Desert Song” and “Kisses Over Babylon” have been released. I can’t say I fully understand any of this yet, but hey, it’s only parts 1 and 2! Can’t wait for the next ten!
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Part 1: “Desert Song”
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Part 2: “Kisses Over Babylon”
Ok, so I’m aware that both of those are a bit heavy…and frankly, a little odd, so I thought I would lighten it up a bit with the next two videos. The first is the song “Aerosmith, Take Me To The Other Side,” by the San Francisco based, “hammjamm” band Still Flyin’. Don’t ask me what a “hammjamm” band is…Still Flyin’ made up the term…but no matter what it means, it’s a good time, and I think this video proves it. And yes, that’s the band dressed up as Aerosmith. And I have to say, this song fully captures my own idea of Hell…Aerosmith, ugh.
Still Flyin’ – “Aerosmith, Take Me To The Other Side”
It’s hard to know exactly how to lead in to this next video…but here goes: Michael Cera giving a drug induced cosmic hug to Nicholas Thorburn. What more can I say?!
The Islands – “No You Don’t”
Well to finish up, I thought I would move away from officially released music videos and share some some fantastic, fan-filmed performance videos. All of these come from the music site, La Blogotheque, which is easily one of my favorite music blogs. Now I realize that it helps to be able to read French when you visit their site, but you don’t have to know a foreign language to enjoy their Les Concerts A Emporter series. They have dozens of these sessions, and they are all amazing…here are just a few of my favorites. Enjoy.
I first heard the Islands completely by accident. I was at the record store, and on a whim I decided to listen to all the CDs which they had displayed on the walls (apparently I had a lot more free time back then). I have to say that for the most part, this was something of a fruitless adventure (why is there so much angry music out there?! I just don’t get it!)…anyway, I didn’t have much hope of finding anything too interesting, until I came across an album called Return to the Sea. Since then, the Islands have released two more studio albums (Arm’s Way and Vapours), and while many bands begin to fade or become stagnant and repetitive as time goes by, the Islands continue to experiment and excite in ways that never become dull, that never bore, and that never cease to amaze.
The Islands are led by frontman Nick Diamonds (Nicholas Thorburn), who formed the band along with Jamie Thompson after the break up of their group the Unicorns (also well worth a listen). Thompson is no longer a member of the band, but at any given time, Diamonds is joined by a veritable menagerie of musicians and artists who form the backbone of the Islands. And it is this somewhat fluid mix of members that makes the Islands such a great listen, and an even better live show. I’ve seen a lot of rock shows, and to this day, the Islands are easily in the top five of my list of great performances. I saw them once in Carrboro, NC, and the show included steel drums, a bass clarinet (I didn’t even know that such a thing existed), a recorder (yes, the plastic thing we all played in elementary school), and an encore break with dueling fiddles…what could be better?!
The Islands – “Rough Gem”
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And while Return to the Sea was endearing because of this unexpected mix of sounds and general cheeriness, the Islands’ subsequent albums have had a somewhat more serious, less playful air about them. This is in no way a criticism, because both Arm’s Way and Vapours are incredible albums…rather, it is a sign that the band can develop, grow, and change and yet still be successful…and that is high praise for any group. There seems to be no lack of creativity, no lack of inspiration, and certainly no lack of ability. And while they may have embraced a more traditional sound, they have made it their own.
The Islands – “Kids Don’t Know Shit”
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With the release of their third studio album Vapours, the Islands have continued to show this ability to develop and adapt. They have resisted stagnation…they have become more serious, but also more poignant; more traditional, but more remarkable. And it’s not just the sounds that they produce, but the lyrics as well…there songs are littered with thoughtful and powerful words…permeated with social consciousness and troubling honesty:
Don’t draw the needle, don’t draw the needle
Don’t draw the needle on the groove
And don’t leave
Turn me on a rousing song for sympathetic ears
No one cares, no one’s there and you, you disappear
Fall in, fall in, fall in
No one will know
Go on, fall in, no one will know
Hold on Foreigner, on you go
Left behind, left behind, left behind
But not like a Christian kind
Fall in, fall in, fall in
No one will know
The Islands – “On Foreigner”
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The Islands continue to develop their sounds and their lyrics with increased gravity and sobriety, and yet they have lost none of the cleverness and wit that appealed to me from the start. And while I don’t often browse the record store walls these days, you just never know when you might come across a rare gem…or at least a rough one.
